12 November 2018
Science Days in the context of the Science Days Palestine 2018 Festival
The Child Centre – Gaza (CCG) / A. M. Qattan Foundation (AMQF) organised interactive science days between 22 and 25 October 2018. These activities were part of the Science Days Palestine (SDP) 2018 Festival, which revolves around the theme Food Revolution 2050.
Events featured interactive science activities, which reflected the Food Revolution theme. These included Biotechnology, Nutrition Clinic, Food Safety, Food Processing, Food Lab, Urban Agriculture, Your Medicine from Your Food, and Science Films.
The SDP 2018 Festival was concluded with a seminar, titled Our Food… Our Ailment and Our Medicine. Speakers in the seminar included Dr. Abdul Raouf al-Mana’mah, E-bug Project Officer and Representative of the Arab Scientific Community Organisation (ARSCO) in Palestine; Dr. Mohammed Surour, Chair of the Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Palestine; and Dr. Mahmoud Sardah, Dean of Scientific Research at the Al-Azhar University, Gaza.
The SDP 2018 Festival is organised and funded by the Ramallah Municipality, Al Nayzak Organisation for Supportive Education and Scientific Innovation, A. M. Qattan Foundation, Goethe Institut, and French Cultural Centre in partnership with several local institutions.
Olive Harvest Initiative in the Al-Mughraqa area
On 10 October 2018, the CCG organised a community initiative for olive harvest in the Al-Mughraqa area in Central Gaza.
In a happy engaging atmosphere, children of the My Country’s Monuments programme participated in the activity together with children of the Child Friendly Spaces project in the Al-Mughraqa area.
In addition to the Arts corner, children took part in interactive activities, including storytelling (Aunt Zayyoun and the Olive Tree) as well as in popular and physical games.
Community initiative You Are Always On Our Minds launched
In October 2018, the CCG launched the community initiative You Are Always On Our Minds.
The initiative brought together children of the CCG Little Painters’ Club, My Country’s Monuments programme, Literature Clubhouse, English Language Club, Qattan Science Club, and Robot Engineers programme. Children visited the Elwafa Elderly Nursing Home, Al-Quds Hospital, Palestine Red Crescent Society, and Rantisi Specialised Paediatric Hospital. Children presented paintings produced by the Little Painters’ Club to staff members of these institutions as a token of appreciation for the services they deliver to the Palestinian society.
A childhood development project in marginalised areas launched
Co-funded by Save the Children International, the CCG launched a project in the context of Quality and Comprehensive Early Childhood Care and Development Programmes for the Most Marginalised Children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The project aims for early childhood development in the most marginalised areas in the Gaza Strip. Targeting 30 kindergartens (KGs), the project will be implemented over a period of three years, 2018-2021.
The project provides training to KG principals and early childhood educators on integrative and inclusive approaches, active learning strategies, developmental stage of the child, reading and arithmetic skills for early childhood, healing and education through the arts (HEART), and teaching through the arts. The project also provides KGs with a various collection of educational stories, music games, and stationery items. In addition to organising excursions for KG children, the project shares experiences with those KGs, which received the same services at an earlier phase of the project.
Co-curricular activities for children of the Wajd Project
The CCG launched the Co-curricular Activities project, targeting children of the Wajd programme (Year 4) to encourage innovation and creativity among these children. The project is part of the Wajd programme, which provides support to children who lost their parents during the 2014 Israeli war on Gaza.
The project featured key activities, including science, Dabke, choir, creative writing, fine arts, computer, football, karate, and volleyball.
Engaging 350 children, the project activities will last until August 2019.
Wajd Project is a distinctive programme that was launched by the Welfare Association and Qatar Fund for Development, the major donor of the project. With contributions from the Bank of Palestine, Hajj Hashem Ata al-Shawwa Charitable Endowment Fund, Wajd Project provides support to orphaned children of the 2014 Israeli war on Gaza.
Wajd Project aims at empowering orphaned children in the last Israeli war on Gaza to live in dignity, move on to accomplish their aspirations and hopes, and be active members in society.